Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1887-04-20

two inches square. The quilt thus fur
* b sizs Of an ordinary parlor carpet.
10 each elsitur she insists hat they
take one of the blocks with them.
Among the men there are many strange
characters, but scarcity of space prevents |
any detailed account OF their peculiar
~fancIes. The men. like the women, are
allowed plenty of outdoor exercise.
The iDvalids are taken out in an am
bulance. The fields and gardens, Stables,
kitchen and laundry are all ia charge of
patients. They attend to the work assign
ed them, taking q peculiar interest in
all they do. In going to the engine
room the reporter encountered the assls-
tant engineer IAN inmate) the
engineer being an employe.
This man was the best looking
individual OF the place, barring visitors
and DR.. j. +. Cravens the efficient super
infepdent, who greatly resembles Mr.. e.
W. Skinner, OF this city. The doctor who
wes our pilot, indicated to the assistant,
Henry by name, hat there must
be some one in the boiler. Hen
nv went over where directed and the
doctor began making inquiry. "HelIo!'
he cried, to which came q t~elephons-like.
%reIoinder 'hello." A conversation OF some
five minutes took place during which time
the voice In the boiler, initiating Senator
ingalls,, though substituting q hog for o
lion, twisted a tail and the result was a
squeal. Upon leaving the engine room the
reporter shook hands with the handsome
Henry and assured him that he was a
little the smoothest ventrlloquist he had
ever heard. Henry was an artist in other
ways. With q ommon lack-knife (all he
was allowed to use), and the lid OF q
| TX al anan how Honrr ~ 40 a -,o1,. arl..I.
is in every respect as perfect in it's forma.
ton as any Remenyl aver drew q bow
across. This violin DR.. Oravens takes
pleasure in showing his friends. Henry
has made another upon which he per-
forms, Thursday evening, at the asy-
lum. the dance hall is aglow with the an
fortunates who assemble from the differ
ent wards. Henry is there with his i'd
die assisted by an orchestra made up of
inmates and employees. Those who are
allowed on the floor now enjoy them
selves to their hearts content. Many of
the females begin begin primping for
the dance as early rs seven o'clock on
Thursday morning, and it is their one
theme Of conversation all day. Such
recreation, kind treatment, end home
like appearance of the wards is probably
the secret of no dungeons, NJ dark cells.
One patient was brought to- the institu-
ton by seven men, and the next day he
was sent out in the garden to pick a
bouquet for the matron. While
in DR.. Crayens' office q MIR. Brown
was sent for. Brown has been
an inmate for some years and acts as
office porter. He was introduced as the
Rev. DR.. Carson, which name he uses
alternately with that of Gen. Geo. Wash
ington. The Rev. DIR. Carson is noted
for his wonderful memory. never for
getting the full mann OF any person he
meets or has ever heard of. A man with
o memory like this ought not to be in
an insane asylum, it would seem, but
whisky and a deputy sheriff brought
him there. Brown came from the east
and mentioned many familiar names,
giving the streets, number as we'll as
middle initials in full. Fort Leaven-
worth's officials were all named. He
commenced at Jayne and gave all the
Dakota. governors with dates of official
change. Occasionally the visitor would
appear puzzled as to who constructed
the Mississippi %ietties, or who were the
leading dry goods merchants of Chicago,
but Brown, smiling at their apparent
ignorance talked off the desired
%conundrums. OF late occurrences he
knows nothing, but his brain seems to
be a mirror of all he ever saw or heard
of as to names and locations before his
incarceration. After looking at this un-
fortunate wreck it is o wonder how q
nam will seek a h~ole-in-the- wall There
10 another interesting unfortunate IN the
person of a man who owns the earth,
He has railroads for sale in England and
America, mines in California and Dako-
to, farms in all states and on all CONT
nents. He is the boom real estate man
of the institution, and has as little
regard for his check for one million
dollars as some OF the Haddock witnesses
had for the truth. All the windows in
the wards are crossed with heavy IRON
grating on the outside Of thesash.h This
is done more to prevent accidents than
escapes. During the late session of the
territorial Legislature the matter
of fire escapes for the institu-
tion was being discussed, when q bright
member from the Hills suggested
thar maybe it could be arranged after
q fashion they have in Chicago, by hav-
ing an iron ladder going down on the
ontside from every other window"
His fellow-members we're kind to him
and did not laugh. The present build
iDgs are inadequate for the immediate
uSLuuuuss aHu d %5V,Uou appropriation
was made during last days OF the session
for an east and west wing-six new
wards. AT the close of last year there
were 1853 inmates, and in many cases
two are assigned to one bed, thus deny
ing them that rest which is SO necessary
to convalesoence. The new additions
will be commenced within q month, and
thus Dakota will be better able to pro-
vide for the insane. The reporter who
visited this institution was struck with
the exquisite cleanliness of every
part Of the building. DIR. Cravens, who:
so carefully looks after all these little
details as well as ably managing the
entire institution, is entitled
to % great deal of credit for the
many changes for tine better he has
made since he took possession. Two
years ago some one said: "Wby, Doctor,
yon do not intend putting those plants
IN with those iunatlcs?" Eyes, l intend
putting those plants in with those
human beings" And as o result the
doctor tells the reporter he never SO
much rs ever lost q geraninm leaf. The
inmates take great interest in the flowers,
The birds, the flowers, the rockers, the
organs and other house-like furnishings
put in by DIR Craveps, have no doubt been
the means of restoring many an unset
tied mind and saved an existence of
confinement. The new wings, DIR.
Cravens says, will have no ironed win.
dows, simply wire netting on the up-
per floors to prevent accidents. The num-